Staying Home Sucks, home
Nilwala River in Matara Sri Lanka 2011 - panoramio
Matara, the nearest town, 4 km away. Photo: aska fathima, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Madiha

Surf spot · Sri Lanka

Is it worth the trip?

66Good out of 100 for your dates

Home sucks

Best on Wed 4: 4 ft swell at 9 s

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 69 out of 100

Swell
4 ft8 ssoft
Energy
237kJ
Wind
NNW 5 kn
Temp
28°C

Wed 4 · 77 out of 100

Swell
4 ft9 scrumbling
Energy
236kJ
Wind
NNE 8 kn
Temp
28°C

Thu 5 · 74 out of 100

Swell
4 ft8 scrumbling
Energy
180kJ
Wind
ENE 5 kn
Temp
28°C

Fri 6 · 59 out of 100

Swell
2 ft13 shollow
Energy
200kJ
Wind
NE 6 kn
Temp
28°C

Sat 7 · 59 out of 100

Swell
3 ft8 smushy
Energy
123kJ
Wind
N 9 kn
Temp
28°C

Sun 8 · 55 out of 100

Swell
3 ft11 scrumbling
Energy
165kJ
Wind
ENE 1 kn
Temp
27°C

Mon 9 · 38 out of 100

Swell
2 ft11 scrumbling
Energy
101kJ
Wind
ESE 4 kn
Temp
28°C

Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 275, good
  2. Tue 369, good
  3. Wed 477, good
  4. Thu 574, good
  5. Fri 659, fair
  6. Sat 759, fair
  7. Sun 855, fair
  8. Mon 938, too small
  9. Tue 1028, too small
  10. Wed 1138, too small

The spot in six facts

  • Faces Stakes swell from the S
  • Offshore: Nwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 2–8 ftof swell
  • Water 29 °Cno wetsuit
  • Best Dec–Feb6 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number

The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Madiha, each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov75, good4 ft8 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.)175kJwind from the south-west, 3 knots29°C
Tue 3Nov69, good4 ft8 ssoft6 ft at break (est.)237kJwind from the north-north-west, 5 knots, offshore28°C
Wed 4Nov77, good4 ft9 scrumbling6 ft at break (est.)236kJwind from the north-north-east, 8 knots, offshore28°C
Thu 5Nov74, good4 ft8 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.)180kJwind from the east-north-east, 5 knots28°C
Fri 6Nov59, fair2 ft13 shollow5 ft at break (est.)200kJwind from the north-east, 6 knots, offshore28°C
Sat 7Nov59, fair3 ft8 smushy4 ft at break (est.)123kJwind from the north, 9 knots, offshore28°C
Sun 8Nov55, fair3 ft11 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.)165kJwind from the east-north-east, 1 knot27°C
Mon 9Nov38, too small2 ft11 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.)101kJwind from the east-south-east, 4 knots28°C
Tue 10Nov28, too small2 ft9 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.)50kJwind from the west, 3 knots28°C
Wed 11Nov38, too small2 ft12 shollow4 ft at break (est.)99kJwind from the west-south-west, 3 knots28°C

Energy is the swell's power, in kJ per metre of wave. Wind is in knots, the arrow where it blows to; green is offshore. More

Tide

  • Mon 2 NovHigh 06:02 +0.0 mLow 13:07 −0.1 mHigh 21:30 +0.0 m
  • Tue 3 NovLow 02:16 −0.0 mHigh 09:33 +0.0 mLow 16:16 −0.1 mHigh 23:20 +0.1 m
  • Wed 4 NovLow 06:05 −0.1 mHigh 11:18 +0.0 mLow 17:31 −0.1 m

Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.

Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.

Map

the spot and its town

Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for intermediates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.

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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Madiha

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.

The spot faces S (187°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (7°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 350 m out (1 in 37). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 27°C in August, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 30°C in April, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually January, February and December, with about 6 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Matara, 3.7 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 3 surf spots.

Water about 29°C: no wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).

Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,160–US$2,320 each

about US$1,160–US$2,320 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, stay, food, board and wetsuit.

Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.

How we worked it out 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to KCT, estimated from distance and season, changing at DXB and CMB, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$904–US$1,880
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$40–US$74
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$80–US$141
Food7 days eating outabout US$94–US$167
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$40–US$67
Totalabout US$1,160–US$2,320

For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: 3 towns

Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn

Closest

Matara

about 10 min by car · 68 places to stay

about US$33/nightcountry average

See 68 places to stay in Matara · Booking.com

About Matara its beds, food and every spot near it

About US$33 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.

Getting there: about 31h 45m

About 31h 45m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → KCT, changing at Dubai International Airport (DXB) and Bandaranaike International Colombo Airport (CMB), then 1h 10m by road

An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.

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